September 29, 2013

Feeling very "Panera" today

Today I "only" had 10 miles on the schedule :)  Of course the "only" is all relative. Last Sunday, I ran 16, so I really wasn't even thinking of today as a long run. It was my second-to-last double digit run until the marathon, however!

I had to wait until 8:30 to head out, when the kids went to church with my parents, and I wasn't sure if I should eat breakfast beforehand or not. I always regret it when I do, because it makes me feel crappy during my run, but I knew I wouldn't be home and showered until about 10:30, which is nearly lunchtime for me. I decided not to eat before I left, but I brought a Gu with me to have at the halfway point. I also made sure to bring water with me this time; I didn't want another run like Thursday's!

I chose the same lollipop route that I did for my 16-miler last week (only just the out-and-back part, to make it way shorter). I was really hoping that I'd feel as good today as I did last week. I didn't feel GREAT, like last Sunday, but I had a good run. I was aiming for my long run pace of 9:38/mi (or less, if I felt like it). At the five mile mark, when I turned around, I ate a Salted Caramel Gu. My stomach felt totally fine the whole run.

When I turned around, the wind was in my favor (I had a headwind on the way out), so I picked up the pace a little. And, just to prove to myself that I still had some fuel in the tank, I ran sub-9:00 for the last mile.


Today's run put my total mileage for September at 198. Tomorrow, I have 7 miles on the schedule, so that will put me at 205 for the whole month. I'm in disbelief that I've run that many miles! I ran 200 in August, which blew my mind. And now 205 for September. AND, the best part? I've remained injury-free! I'm convinced that this Hansons' method of training has helped me stay injury-free.

When I got home, I was texting Jerry for a little while before getting in the shower, and by the time I was done showering, it was 11:00. The kids had asked me yesterday if we could go to Panera for lunch today, and I said sure. Since I hadn't even had breakfast, I decided to take them to lunch, and I would get a bagel for breakfast. I got a blueberry bagel with reduced-fat cream cheese, for a total of 13 PointsPlus.


It was DELICIOUS. The perfect post-10-miler breakfast!

While I was there, I decided to get some soup to go for lunch later. I adore Panera's Broccoli Cheddar soup, so I got a bowl of that with a 2 oz. baguette to bring home. The soup is 8 PP, and the bread is 5 PP--both totally worth it!


And, because I have a lot of PointsPlus saved up from this week (I've been trying to eat only when hungry, rather than eating "just because I have the PP to spend"), I got a chocolate chip cookie to have tonight. I've never had one of Panera's cookies, but it looks good and I can't wait to eat it during the Breaking Bad series finale!


The cookie is 13 PointsPlus, and hopefully it's worth it! On the way home from Panera, I was stopped at a traffic light, and there was a sign on the side of the road advertising a "Poker Run" and party.

Noah: "Mama, do you know what a poker run is?"
Me: "No, but I'm curious if it's an actual RUN or if it's something to do with Poker." 
Noah: "It's when a bunch of motorcyclists go from one bar to another, collecting a card from each bar; then at the last one, they have enough for a hand of poker, and they play."

I laughed so hard when he said that. I was completely shocked that he knew what it was! I'd never heard of such a thing. When I asked him where he heard that, he told me that my dad explained it to him once.


I cleaned the hell out of my house yesterday, and I found something while cleaning out a drawer in my bedroom (no, not THAT)... anyone recognize this?


That would be an iPAQ. A long, long time ago, before iPods, and smart phones, and all that, there were little PDA's (Personal Digital Assistants). I remember spending a small fortune on this one, because it was in COLOR (gasp!). When I took it out during a college class to schedule a reminder or something, everyone used to stare and ask me questions about what it was. No, I'm not joking. I ended up using it mostly to play games, though ;)

Anyone else watching the finale of Breaking Bad tonight? I can't wait to see how it ends! (Although, really, there isn't a great way for it to end...)


Don't forget, tomorrow is Motivational Monday! If you have a picture you want to share of a health/fitness accomplishment you achieved this week, you can e-mail it (along with a short description) to SlimKatie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com, subject "Motivational Monday", and I may include it in tomorrow's MM post. Can't wait to see what you've all been up to this week!

14 comments:

  1. I'm not sure if you're a squash fan, but I tried Panera's Autumn Squash soup tonight and it was delicious! I don't do WW so I'm not sure about the PP. But so good!

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  2. You had some mighty good looking eats there today! That cookie looks fabulous. Be sure and let us know if it was worth it.

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  3. That Autumn Squash Soup sounds delish I checked out the nutritionals on WW and it is 10 PP. That's a lot for a bowl of soup!

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  4. I spent all day waiting for the Breaking Bad finale... finally it came and I wish I had a DVR because I kept wanting to pause to digest stuff but I couldn't!

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  5. The BB finale was amazing! We watched it with a couple of friends and all agreed that it ended exactly the way we'd hoped.

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  6. Panera is my go-to favorite right now! Their bread is just amazing.

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  7. Great job on the run. Panera is definitely an awesome post-run stop. I've never heard of a Poker Run...definitely interesting.

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  8. No spoilers here, but that episode last night was the most fulfilled I have ever been during any television show's finale! I loved it! They tied up everything nicely! That broccoli cheddar soup looks amazing!

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  9. We have poker runs with our running club. We play the same way as your son describes, but we run around the track & collect a card each time we pass the starting line. It is pretty fun!

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  10. Your food all looks great. I used to work (before retirement) in a building that was attached to the University of Nebraska's famous Dairy Store. I'm not a big ice cream fan, but I did have a sundae or two over the 35 years I worked there. My favorite thing from that Dairy Store, however, was their chicken fajita soup, which they only had one day a week. I'm seriously considering trying to figure out which day they have it now, and going and getting a bowl. It was better than any chicken fajita soup I've ever had anywhere!

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  11. It's funny that you mention Panera in your Sunday post. I'm a Michigan native and my best friend from college still lives in Kalamazoo. She texted me yesterday "Why doesn't Panera deliver on such a perfectly fall day in Michigan?" lol

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  12. I LOVE Panera and could eat there every day! It seems every time I go, I have a free pasty or bakery item on my card. It's so hard to turn down. I LOVE their cookies, but they have like 400 calories or something, so normally I split it with my kids. I almost always get broccoli cheddar soup, but I love their salads and sandwiches too. Their mac and cheese is so good, but has a BILLION frickin calories. :)

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  13. AHHH! Breaking Bad! LOL. My hubby and I liked it a lot. We think it wrapped everything up really nicely and still had some "Walt is too smart for his own good." moments that were amazing. We were both very pleased.

    And now... I want Panera. :)

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  14. Bagels are at least part of my weekly routine. I could eat them every day and could never live carb-free because of bagels, and pizza, and cookies, and cake...

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